Moving On
by Swiftfire Mews
Summary: Pearl always disappear for a few days a year. This year she has been gone for longer than usual and Steven is worried about her.
**Swiftfire Mews here with another one-shot. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be working on other fanfictions but I was searching through my notes and found this on laying around and after reading through it, I decided to post it. I needed something a little more heartwarming.**

 **I'm not exactly sure when this is supposed to take place in the show, I think sometime after Rose's Scabbard. I also wrote this more than a year ago so keep that in mind if some of it drifts into AU territory. Anyway enjoy and prepare for some feels for Steven and momma Pearl.**

"Pearl! Where are you?" Steven yelled out as he looked around. Garnet and Amethyst watched him. They were at the battle field with the over grown strawberries.

"Steven, give it up already. Pearl always disappears around this time a year." Amethyst said. Steven looked back at the pair.

"She been gone for a week now, she's never been gone this long. She could be hurt, or she could be lonely, or have been proofed." Steven said panic coloring his voice. He looked around more hysterically.

"Steven." Garnet interrupted, "Pearl will be fine, she can take care of herself." Steven looked at Garnet with worry but calmed down when he saw her serious expression.

"Plus she'll be back soon, you know she can't stay away from you for long." Amethyst said. Garnet nodded to confirm her words. Steven looked at their unworried faces and made his decision.

"Alright, I'll wait for her to come back. Maybe I can even make her a card for her homecoming." Steven said getting a bit excited. Garnet smiled a bit at his excitement.

"Let's go home." She said walking towards the warp pad. Steven and Amethyst hurried to catch up to her. They warped back to the house and to their surprise Pearl was sitting on the couch. Her hair was drooping, she had bags under her eyes, and she was a bit beat up. She was currently looking down at her twiddling thumbs.

"Pearl!" Steven yelled as he raced up to her. She looked up at him visibly cheering up.

"Steven." She said opening up her arms.

He threw himself into her giving her a large hug. "You're back." He exclaimed smiling at here. He paused for a second as he remembered something. "Aww I was going to make you an awesome card and everything." Pearl smiled and hugged him tighter. Garnet and Amethyst headed back into their rooms to give the too some alone time, they could talk to Pearl later.

"I missed you as well Steven. I'm sure a card from you would have been good." Pearl said before ruffling his hair. Steven let go of her.

"I can still make you a card." He bounced up and down in place. Pearl gave him a half smile.

"I can't wait to see it when it's finished." Pearl said. Steven gave her a confused look.

"What are you talking about, can't you stay with me while I'm making the card?" Steven asked. Pearl gave him a full smile.

"Of course I can. Garnet and Amethyst can wait a little while." Steven cheered and grabbed Pearl's hand leading her to his bedroom. He directed the gem to his bed and sat her down. "Now stay here, and don't leave again." Steven said.

Pearl nodded, "Alright." Satisfied Steven set to work finding the proper materials. Pearl watched him while singing a lullaby to herself. She had missed the small boy while she was gone, but she couldn't be around him during that time. While she loved him as if he was her son it hurt so much to be around him, all she could do is remember Rose around this time and it didn't help her mental state to be around Steven at this time. She was also afraid of lashing out or saying the wrong thing.

Steven stopped his work and looked at Pearl, she looked said again but was still singing the song. "I like it when you sing, your voice is really pretty. What's the song?" He said bash fully. Pearl stopped singing and almost teared up, he sounded a lot like Rose. She mentally shook her head, he was not Rose, he might have been created from her essences but he was definitely a different person. "Thank you Steven. It's a lullaby I used to sing to you when you were small."

Steven studied her for a second his usual silliness faded away. "Why were you gone?" He asked. She froze for a second but quickly relaxed.

"Last week was the anniversary of the first time I met your mother." Pearl answered honestly. Steven's eyes widened, he knew how she felt about is mom.

"Pearl..."

"It's alright Steven. I just needed to be alone around this time of year, this year it just struck a little harder." Steven studied her with a small frown, she looked depressed again.

"Tell me how you met her." Steven said hoping the story would cheer her up. Pearl gave him a shocked look before she recovered.

"If you want I suppose," she said a bit nervously. Steven gave her an encouraging nod. "You see Steven I was part of many Pearls made for the purpose of cleaning up other gems homes. But I was different, more difficult than the other Pearls. I felt like there was something bigger for me than just being a servant for all of my life. When it became time to serve a master I resisted and ended up being the last Pearl left. The gem in charge of the assignment was going to shatter me. I fled when I heard about it, for days I was on my own and out on the street.

Pearls are never taught how to fight so I had no way to protect myself. It had been a week when I ran into a group of gems that was hired to smash me. I could only run and hide but eventually they found me. Just as they were going to smash my gem Rose Quartz showed up. She saved me. She took me home and I discovered that missing purpose. She had given it to me, the ability to choose my own destiny. And I chose to be with Rose, but now she's gone." Pearl said sniffing slightly. Steven watched somewhat sad before a dark thought crossed his mind.

"Did you leave because of me? Did you resent me because she gave herself up for me?" He asked after a couple of seconds. Pearl felt horrified.

"Oh no Steven, I could never. Why would you think that?" She asked.

"It's just that she was a big part of your live and now she's gone because of me." He said. When Pearl didn't answer right away his heart fell a little. Pearl looked at his face, before pulling him into a hug. Steven let out a small noise of surprise.

"Oh Steven, I could never hate you. I love you. I may have loved Rose, but I would never trade you for anything. If given the ability to change the past I wouldn't. I' miso sorry that I ever made you feel this way." She muttered into his ear. Steven gave her a watery smile as tears fell down his face.

"I love you too, Pearl." He whispered. Pearl felt closure for the first time since Rose died. They stayed hugging for a while, until Pearl pulled away wiping his tears.

"How about you finish making me that card and I'll cook you a meal?" Pearl suggested.

Steven jumped up. "Oh yeah! Your card, just you wait Pearl, it's going to be awesome."

"I'm sure it will be." She got off the bed and headed down the stairs. Steven didn't say anything else until she was in the kitchen. "Hey Pearl?"

"Yes Steven," Pearl replied.

"Don't ever leave me." Pearl's heart broke at the boy's lost tone.

"Never."


End file.
